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Trends and projections in Europe 2019

19 Dezember 2019

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Tracking progress towards Europe’s climate and energy targets

The annual ‘Trends and projections’ report provides an assessment of the progress of the EU and European countries towards their climate mitigation and energy targets. It is based on national data for greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy and energy consumption.

Building on its climate change mitigation policies and greenhouse gas emissions reductions over recent decades, the EU aims to become the world's first climate-neutral economy. Achieving climate neutrality will help Europe contribute to the Paris Agreement objectives of limiting global temperature increase to well below 2˚ C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5˚ C, but will require substantial change across Europe. Some of this change has already been initiated and progress towards 2020 and 2030 targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is underway. A new long‑term strategic vision for 2050, which the European Commission set out in November 2018, provides a range of challenging but feasible pathways for the transition towards climate neutrality. These pathways would all necessitate shifts in many areas of society, not least towards the intensified generation of low- to zero- carbon-based energy, as well as considerable savings in energy consumed.

This report presents an analysis of the progress made in Europe towards 2020 and 2030 targets for climate and energy, based on official statistics on energy and greenhouse gas emissions up to and including 2017, preliminary data for 2018, and national projections of greenhouse gas emissions reported in 2019. The report shows that current efforts by Member States are still insufficient to achieve the EU targets set for 2030. As such, a further gear shift will be needed for the EU and its Member States to deliver collectively on their long‑term objectives until 2050.